Examined the relationship between three behaviors (physical aggression, relational aggression, and prosocial behaviors) and three social outcomes (peer rejection, acceptance, and reciprocal friendships) in 131 third-graders and 135 sixth-graders. Found that among girls, but not boys, relational aggression explained variance in rejection beyond…

The present study examined ethnically Dutch preadolescents' understanding and reasoning about asylum seeker peers and friendships. The description of an asylum seeker was compared with that of a Moroccan and a Dutch peer. The findings suggest that asylum seekers were described more negatively than peers from the other two groups. Additionally, we…

This 6-year longitudinal study examined girls' peer-nominated social preference and aggression in childhood as predictors of self- and parent-reported externalizing symptoms, substance use (i.e.. cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use), and sexual risk behavior in adolescence. Participants were 148 girls from diverse ethnic backgrounds, who were…

This study investigated the prospective links between three forms of peer adversities (i.e., victimization, rejection, and lack of reciprocated friendships) and children's perceptions of themselves and of their peers. The sample consisted of 212 children (107 boys and 105 girls, 11-13 years) recruited from four primary schools and followed up for…

The present study was designed to determine the weight-based stigmatization of Mexican overweight (OW) and non-OW children by their mothers and peers, who rated both boys and girls with varying physical characteristics. Four hundred and thirty-two fifth and sixth graders and 342 mothers participated in the study. Children were administered a…

Eighty children with disabilities enrolled in a nationally distributed set of inclusive preschool programs participated in this study. The average age of the participants was 3.9 years, and 60% were male. The children exhibited a range of disabilities and developmental levels. Using a mixed-method approach, the authors established quantitative…

This study investigated the entry behavior and temperamental characteristics of aggressive/rejected and nonaggressive/popular kindergarten and first-grade children. An analog entry situation was used to assess children's entry skills. Aggressive/rejected children had more difficulty than nonaggressive/popular children delivering their entry bids…

Attempted to identify the defining features of friends' interactions. Eighteen same-sex triads composed of children between four and five years of age with numerous matching objects were videotaped. Six interactional features were identified. The privileged character of friends' interaction was maintained in triads. (RH)

Assessed feelings of loneliness of two subgroups of unpopular children, those sociometrically rejected and those sociometrically neglected. Data from 200 third through sixth graders indicated that rejected children were the most lonely group and differed significantly from other status groups. Neglected children did not differ from higher status…

Evaluated the psychosocial functioning of hearing-impaired children (N=23) matched with general classroom peers. Results indicated that the children with hearing impairments were more likely to be at risk of rejection by their peers than were normally hearing children. Age was the best predictor of rejection, with younger children with hearing…

This study identified and described adolescents' exclusion rules and how they were related to their real world exclusionary behaviours. Adolescents (N=682) were asked to provide (a) an account and rationale for excluding a peer who wanted to join their group; and (b) general rules for when exclusion was fair. A content analysis of the narratives…

This study examined the role of low social preference in relation to subsequent depressive symptoms, with particular attention to prior depressive symptoms, prior and concurrent aggression, mutual friendships, and peer victimization. Italian children (N = 288) were followed from grade 6 through grade 8, and American children (N = 585) were…

Stable peer status clusters of rejected, popular, and average girls from ages 10 to 13 were identified and associated to young and middle adulthood adjustment. The study included a representative sample of 445 females from the longitudinal research program Individual Development and Adaptation. Results showed that, by young adulthood, rejected…

Thirty-two boys rejected by their peers in grades one through three, identified on the basis of negative sociometric nominations and negative social behavior, were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions (a) instructions to promote positive social behavior, (b) prohibitions to reduce negative social behavior, (c) a combination of…

In this article, inclusion and exclusion are interpreted not as functions of individual developmental deficit but rather as socially constructed phenomena within the peer group, highlighting the need for teachers to intervene with the entire class rather than focusing on perceived social skills deficits of particular children. The three sections…